Shop at the local supermarket

To the Editor:

My husband and I have been residents of Malverne/Malverne Park for over 50 years. We have always felt that it was very important to shop locally.

One of the reasons why we purchased our home was the close proximity to the village. From the day my son was born, I would walk to the village to do my daily shopping. I loved the fact that there was also a supermarket in Malverne, on Hempstead Avenue. We did all of our food shopping there. When my 90-year-old mother moved here, she loved the convenience of the store because she could drive up to town and do her shopping. All of the employees knew her by name, and she felt very comfortable. Unfortunately, due to poor management and possibly the economy and competition with the larger food stores, the supermarket has gone through a few owners.

Most recently, however, new owners have reopened the supermarket as Associated Food Store. As soon as the store opened, my husband and I went in and were met immediately by the owner. He is a smart, friendly young man who is running the store with his brother. Their family owns other food stores, so they are very familiar with the supermarket business.

We have been shopping there for about three weeks. The shelves are fully stocked. The vegetables are fresh, employees are constantly making sure that the products are neatly organized, checking expiration dates. The meat department is great, almost like having your own private butcher. The store has weekly sales, specialty items — I even found a special canned tuna that I was looking for. The store is spotless. Believe me, we are very particular about our food, so I wouldn’t say this if it wasn’t true. A real plus is that they make deliveries.

Just go in and say hello and buy some great stuff. Show these new owners that you want to support them. It is a valuable asset to have a store like this in the village, for seniors and young alike.

Chris and Ron Tarpinian
Malverne Park